Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence People, LLC, and one of only 20 Cialdini Method Certified Trainers in the world. Brian’s experience with Robert Cialdini’s methods places him among the most experienced practitioners alive. It was a pleasure to speak with Brian and to gain some insight on applying the methods of ethical influence that Cialdini pioneered in his book, Influence with clients in the real world.
We hosted Brian in the Behavioral Grooves studio for our wide-ranging and in-depth conversation. It was a treat because we typically have our discussions via the web on Zoom or SquadCast, but Brian was able to meet us at the dining room table and it was terrific. As a result of being in the same room and sitting around the same table, our discussion on priming, influence and ethics was particularly personal and dynamic.
Brian began our conversation by outlining the six principles of influence: liking, reciprocity, authority, social proof or consensus, consistency, and scarcity, all of which were identified by Robert Cialdini in his first book. We wandered into a great story about Cialdini’s very humble personality, that Brian conveyed by way of a dinner meeting with the professor. (Note: Kurt and Tim experienced Cialdini’s humility directly when we met up with the good professor in New York City, recently. Bob, as he urged us to call him, was as curious as a college freshman and solicited our thoughts on every topic we spoke about. Truly an inspiring and amazing guy.)
Brian shared his thoughts about Tom Hopkins work on “How to Master the Art of Selling” and the impact that the spoken word has on our beliefs. The ‘what I say becomes what I believe’ was an important reminder that words matter. And in Brian’s case, words are just about everything when it comes to the world of ethical influence. This became clear when he spoke about how he trains insurance salespeople to use primes with their customers when pitching technology. The technology actually helps keep the drivers safer and provides more reliable data to the insurance agencies. Brian trains the agents to say, “…this technology works really well for good drivers like you.” We’re all for being safer on the road.
Of course, we spent a fair amount of our conversation on the subtlety and power of primes. Fortunately, Brian took our musical bait and spoke to how he uses musical playlists to create and deliver his own personal primes. We were happy to hear that he’s created playlists that focus on titles or themes with the words ‘moment’ or ‘time’ in them. And it’s evidence that he takes his own medicine when it comes to the advice he shares with his clients. He’s using music to prime himself and others before meetings! We are always impressed with people, like many of our other guests, who apply these principles to their own lives.
The priming discussion included a great story about how he used reciprocity to engage his daughter in doing some extra chores around the house. Rather than making his request quid pro quo, Brian decided to preempt the request with a raise to her allowance. After the new, upgraded allowance was in place, Brian’s request was met with immediate support. Kurt and Tim have recollections of childhood chores compressed with bad feelings – and they linger long into adulthood. As children, we never experienced enthusiasm over chores or things we were asked to do, in part because of the ways those requests were made.
Brian concluded our conversation with three tips about the most impactful tools from the principles of persuasion. They are:
Our discussion with Brian gave us the opportunity to talk about both Coldplay and Frank Sinatra. With a playlist that wildly varied from a guy from Ohio, what is there not to like? And since Brian is from Ohio, the home of the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, we decided to do a little grooving on it. So, Kurt and Tim discussed Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame inductees and who, in our humble opinion, deserves to be nominated. Todd Rundgren was discussed as one of our nominees we'd like to see in the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. (We also discussed Queen, but Queen was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001, ten years after Freddie Mercury died.) The impact that music has on our lives is nearly immeasurable and we’re grateful to have the opportunity to listen to it, enjoy it, and chat about it.
Tee up a lively tune before you listen to this episode! We hope you enjoy our conversation with Brian Ahearn.
Subscribe at www.behavioralgrooves.com or learn more about Behavioral Grooves podcast and meetup.
Kwame Christian: On Compassionate Curiosity, Social Justice Conversations, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch [Republish Episode 178]
Vaccinating the World: How Behavioral Science Helps. With Michael Coleman
Can People Learn to be Better at Thinking? With Richard E. Nisbett
Do We Control Situations or Do Situations Control Us? With John Bargh
Stanford Prison Experiment, 50 Years On: What Have We Really Learnt? With Dr Philip Zimbardo
[INTERVIEW] Are You More Honest with Google or Your Friends? With Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
[GROOVING SESSION] Are You More Honest with Google or Your Friends? With Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
[INTERVIEW] Does Money Really Make You Happy? The Research with Johannes Haushofer
[GROOVING SESSION] Does Money Really Make You Happy? The Research with Johannes Haushofer
[INTERVIEW] Smart Behavioral Economics Secrets Every Marketer Needs with Melina Palmer
[GROOVING SESSION] Smart Behavioral Economics Secrets Every Marketer Needs with Melina Palmer
[INTERVIEW] Why Good, Honest Employees Really Do Steal With Kelly Paxton
[GROOVING SESSION] Why Good, Honest Employees Really Do Steal With Kelly Paxton
Who Makes You Feel Grateful? Tell Them! With Chester Elton
[INTERVIEW] Attention: How to Capture It and Keep It with Ben Parr
[GROOVING SESSION] Attention: How to Capture It and Keep It with Ben Parr
[INTERVIEW] Make Choice Rewarding: Behavioral Insights in Marketing with Matthew Willcox
[GROOVING SESSION] Make Choice Rewarding: Behavioral Insights in Marketing with Matthew Willcox
Katy Milkman: How to Make Healthy Habits that Actually Last [GROOVING SESSION]
Katy Milkman: How to Make Healthy Habits that Actually Last [INTERVIEW]
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Poetry of Science
Hidden Brain
The Science of Happiness
Therapist Uncensored Podcast
The Psychology Podcast